And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.

GENESIS 29:28KJV
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Genesis 29:28 (KJV)

What does Genesis 29:28 mean?

Genesis 29:28 says that Jacob completed the required week of wedding festivities for Leah, as Laban had demanded, and then Laban also gave Rachel to Jacob as a wife. This verse shows the fulfillment of Laban’s agreement with Jacob after the initial deception involving Leah.

Jacob is the main figure here, and he is dealing with his father-in-law Laban. Earlier, Laban had tricked Jacob into marrying Leah instead of Rachel, whom Jacob loved. Laban then told Jacob he could marry Rachel as well, but only after finishing a week of celebration with Leah. This verse records Jacob following through on that condition and receiving Rachel as his wife.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 29:28

  • שָׁבוּעַ (shavu'a, "week"): This word means a period of seven days, referring here to the traditional week-long wedding celebration for Leah. The verse highlights that Jacob honored this full period before marrying Rachel.
  • מָלֵא (male, "fulfilled"): This word means to complete or fill up. It emphasizes that Jacob did not cut corners but fully observed the required time.
  • נָתַן (natan, "gave"): This word is used for Laban giving Rachel to Jacob, showing the formal act of transferring Rachel as a wife, not just a casual arrangement.

Why Genesis 29:28 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Jacob did not immediately marry Rachel but waited until Leah’s wedding week was over, respecting the customs of the time.
  • The verse highlights Laban’s control over the situation and Jacob’s willingness to comply, which sets the stage for the complex family dynamics that follow.
  • Understanding the sequence of events helps readers make sense of the relationships and tensions that develop between Jacob, Leah, Rachel, and Laban in the chapters that follow.

Where else these words appear

“week” Hebrew H7620 · used in 17 verses

  • Genesis 29:27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
  • Deuteronomy 16:10 And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:
  • Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

“Rachel” Hebrew H7354 · used in 44 verses

  • Genesis 29:6 And he said unto them, Is he well? And they said, He is well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep.
  • Genesis 30:2 And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?
  • Genesis 33:1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids.